Egypt targets 20 million tourists by end of 2026

Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy, speaking at the Pyramids Forum for Egyptian Tourism held at the National Museum of Civilization, stated that the current strategy of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities focuses on highlighting one of the key strengths of Egypt as a tourist destination: its unparalleled global diversity in tourism products and patterns, which God has bestowed upon Egypt. One of the main objectives of the strategy is to reach 30 million tourists in the coming years and 20 million tourists by the end of the current year, with progress toward achieving this goal monitored periodically every six months.

On another front, recent data released by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Egyptian Telecom Company, and the National Telecom Regulatory Authority showed that the mobile phone penetration rate rose to 114.15% by the end of the April–June 2026 period, compared to 106.66% during the same period in 2025, registering an annual growth rate of 7.04%. This figure indicates that the number of mobile phone subscriptions now equals approximately 114 subscriptions per 100 people, surpassing the total population size, which reflects that some users own more than one mobile line.

For his part, Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Engineer Karim Badawi said that the state aims to achieve a genuine qualitative leap in the mining sector, raising its contribution to GDP to 6%, compared to less than 1% currently, by developing the mining work system, creating a more attractive investment environment, and strengthening partnerships with the private sector and international financial institutions.

He added, in a meeting with Namrata Thapar, Global Sector Director for Metals and Mining at the World Bank Group, on the sidelines of the Egypt Mining Forum, that the ministry is ready to work with investors and international institutions as a team to overcome challenges.